5895 tons of general cargo and government stores, including 20 RAF aircraft

History

Laid down as War Liberty for the Shipping Controller, completed in June 1919 as New Brunswick for Elder Dempster Lines Ltd, Liverpool.

Notes on event

At 03.23 and 03.24 hours on 21 May 1942, U-159 fired four torpedoes at a group of five ships in convoy OS-28 about 140 miles east-southeast of Santa Maria, Azores and heard four detonations and saw a column of fire. Three ships were seen sinking, one of them burning. One of the damaged ships was then hit by another torpedo from a second spread of two torpedoes at 03.25 hours. However, only the New Brunswick and Montenol were hit and sunk.

Two crew members and one gunner from the New Brunswick (Master Cyril Malcolm Whalley) were lost. The master, 53 crew members and five gunners were rescued. Twelve survivors by HMS Totland (Y 88) (LtCdr S.G.C. Rawson, RN), ten survivors by HMS Wellington (L 65) (LtCdr W.F.R. Segrave, RN), the master and six crew members by HMS Weston (L 84) (Cdr J.G. Sutton (retired), RN), five survivors by HMS Woodruff (K 53) (LtCdr F.H. Gray) and 25 survivors by the British merchant Inchanga and landed at Freetown.